Activist fighting for LGBT rights

Published: March 11, 2011

Harvey Milk is part of U.S. history but Japan has yet to see anyone like him 32 years after his assassination, according to Taiga Ishikawa, an openly gay candidate running for the Toshima Ward Assembly in Tokyo.

Political foray: Taiga Ishikawa, a gay candidate running for the Toshima Ward Assembly in April, poses at a shopping area in Tokyo’s Sugamo district on Feb. 10. SATOKO KAWASAKI PHOTO

Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office. After becoming the city supervisor of San Francisco in November 1977, he was shot to death after 11 months in office and is remembered as a historic gay rights activist.

Ishikawa, a 36-year-old writer and activist with inside experience in politics, said he is not trying to become Japan’s Harvey Milk. But what he is aiming for as a politician is to make his neighborhood more friendly to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people and foreigners.

ABOUT US

Our goal at MPact is to bring global attention to local concerns. We are directly linked to more than 120 community-based organizations in 62 countries who are fighting for the sexual health and human rights of gay and bisexual men around the world.

GLOBAL ACTION

MPact’s advocacy is based on our belief in the power of community and the power of connection. Together with our global network of experts and activists, we work to support community-led interventions that are sustainable and impactful.

DONATE

Stigma, discrimination, and violence prevent men who have sex with men from accessing resources for their sexual health. Your support enables MPact to advocate for the health and rights of our communities.